China and Philippines hold rare naval stand-off near disputed Scarborough Shoal

According to the South China Morning Post, three frigates from China's PLA Navy Southern Fleet and the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cabra plus two support boats manoeuvred at close range 18 nautical miles south of Scarborough Shoal between 1:40 pm and 9:55 pm local time on Monday. At the closest contact, two vessels came within 90 metres; Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said « this was the closest dangerous manoeuvre in three years ».

At Tuesday's daily press briefing, China's Foreign Ministry said « our vessels were on a lawful patrol in Chinese sovereign waters »; spokeswoman Mao Ning added « the Philippine side should refrain from actions that strain international law ». In Manila, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called an emergency session of the National Security Council. US Indo-Pacific Command spokesman Commodore John Gay tweeted on Monday night that « the US-Philippines Mutual Defence Treaty covers the Scarborough Shoal ».

The international response moved quickly. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said « actions that erode the rules-based order affect everyone ». Japan's Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi said « we must return to dialogue for Pacific stability ». This year's ASEAN chair, Indonesia, called for an emergency Foreign Ministers' meeting in Jakarta on 27 June. In Asian markets at Tuesday's close, the Philippine peso fell 0.9% against the US dollar and regional maritime-shipping ETFs lost 1.3%.